May It Be
by Kishite no Mirror
Summary: Years before the sons of Mitsumada Kido stormed Sanctuary, the Gold Saints were children growing up there. They were learning, fighting, and forging bonds that would last them an eternity, cemented with years of pain, tears, and lots of explosions
1. Chapter 1

_**May It Be  
**__**Chapter 1  
Journey's Beginning is Journey's End  
**_"We were strangers starting out on our journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through  
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you"

Virgo Kasumi gazed down from the roof of the Pope's temple. She could see the Gold Saints, her Gold Saints, damn, they were nearly her own sons, gathering below. Every generation was like this. Every few decades passed with the training a of a new generation of Saints, training them to live and die for their goddess in preparation for the next Holy War. She prayed to Athena that she would not live to see that awful slaughter again.

"I thought you might be up here." Kasumi smiled behind her mask as Shion sat down on the roof's edge next to her, his helmet tucked under one arm. "Are you worried?"

"A bit," she admitted, "It's been a very long time since that family last walked the same path as the Saints."

"Why the eldest, I wonder?" Shion mused, "They are supposed to send the youngest."

"You are the one who allowed it," Kasumi replied, "There was a time once when such an act would have been forbidden."

Shion shrugged, "I was curious, and something about that boy intrigues me."

"You know Morizan wants to use him to gain more power," Kasumi scolded, "This is the first time since the Holy War that all eighty-eight Cloths will be worn. If his son can become a Gold Saint, maybe even the Pope one day..."

"Hush, Kasumi," Shion lovingly batted at her long blue-black hair, "You of all people should know not to judge the son by the father." Kasumi gave an exasperated sigh. "I know you're worried, Kasumi. These next few years are going to be long and hard. I can feel the Fates stirring and I need no great senses to tell me that Aiolos will not be welcome among his peers or even the Gold Saints training them. He will need all the help he can get."

Kasumi shook her head slowly, "This generation...they aren't like us, like the saints of old." She gazed down at Sagittarius Ronan, a tall and powerful looking Greek man with dark eyes and pale hair, as he led a small, shy shadow of a boy towards the temple. "They disregard Athena's laws, try to raise you up as a god in her stead. Many sneak into Athens by night..."

Shion sighed and stood up, offering his hand to the Virgo saint, "They will suffer Athena's wrath, just as I have."

Aiolos did his best to shrink behind his teacher's legs. Even so, he could feel the cruel glares of the elder Gold Saints. It wasn't his fault he was an Alexius, or that his dad was a jerk. He had not asked to become a Saint! He was just glad that none of the other students knew that, just that their teachers did not like him.

"Hey! Alexius!"

'Great.'

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, that's Morizan's son."

"Master Electrian?" Saga tugged on the Gemini Saint's cloak, "Who's that?"

The twin Gemini Saints turned their identical red eyes to where Saga was pointing. "Isn't that the Alexius boy?" Vulpine asked, facing his brother.

"Aiolos Alexius," Electrian nodded solemnly. "Saga, Kanon," the twin boys looked up at their gray-haired masters, "That boy will be your greatest rival. He is the son of the Alexius family who stands guard over Sanctuary, said to be the most powerful of the saints."

"Rival?" Kanon repeated brightly, "Like we gotta fight him?" a manic grin was crossing his face.

Vulpine smiled thinly, "Electrian and Sagittarius Ronan have hated each other since the day they met. It's always been like that."

Saga scowled, "I don't want someone else to choose my rival for me!"

Kanon snorted and ribbed his brother, "I saw you." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "You were thinking that anyway, you twit."

Saga blushed crimson and turned on his heel and shouted, "Hey! Alexius!"

He watched with a satisfied smirk as Aiolos cringed before schooling his face into an impassive smile and stepping forward with an easygoing, "Yeah?"

Saga stopped short, mouth hanging half-open, every fiber of his five year old being shaking. Aiolos' emerald green eyes were literally blazing like fireballs. Had it been dark, his eyes would have surely glowed.

"You called?" Aiolos asked, still smiling.

'What was I going to say?' Saga thought desperately.

Aiolos took another step forward. Then another. They were almost nose-to-nose. Aiolos studied him curiously, "What's your name?"

"Saga," a pause, "And you're Aiolos Alexius. Everybody knows your name." Aiolos cringed, making Saga smile. "So what?" Saga asked. He brought his hand up to Aiolos' chest and shoved as hard as he could. Aiolos, caught off guard, hit the cold stone floor of the temple with a muffled thud. Without missing a beat, Saga followed and pulled him up by the front of his tunic, so close their noses really _did_ touch, "You're just Aiolos to me, and your eyes don't scare me, got it?"

Aiolos snarled and shoved him away, "Kiss my ass, _Saga._"

With a unanimous snarl, the boys turned away from each other and walked back to their masters. "Saga," Kanon whispered as his twin passed, "Why are you smiling?"

Aiolos could not make himself stop smiling, even when Cancer Marius' student came up and punched him in the arm. "What are you smilin' about?" Angelo asked.

"Dunno," Aiolos replied with a shrug.

Angelo looked over the shorter boy's shoulder and caught Kanon's eye. Kanon rolled his eyes in his twin's direction and shook his head. Angelo gave an understanding nod. "Well, _just Aiolos,_" he teased, turning back to his friend, "Glad you found something to smile at. That fake smile of your is just creepy."

With a few obvious exceptions, the gathered students were all understandably uneasy around each other. Saga and Kanon kept to themselves, watched from the distance by Pisces Ariel's young student who refused to detach himself from his master's legs. Aiolos and Angelo, bored with their masters who seemed only interested in glaring at each other, started amusing themselves by trying to get a reaction out of the otherwise stoic Aquarius Solaris and his student. Capricorn Lorres and his student were sitting a few feet apart from everyone else, content to simply observe.

"Where are the others?" Kanon asked suddenly, "Didn't you say there are twelve Gold Saints?"

"They either don't have students yet," Vulpine explained, "Or are refusing to take them."

Electrian nodded, "Virgo Kasumi and Pope Shion both show no signs of ever intending to take students."

As if on cue, the aforementioned saints appeared. Even under the layers of her Gold Cloth and the white and gold mask she wore, it was obvious that Virgo Kasumi was quite beautiful. Standing next to Pope Shion, the two made quite a regal looking couple.

The Gold Saints and Aiolos automatically bowed to the duo, the remaining students making a stumbling effort to follow their lead.

"Who's the broad?" Angelo whispered from the corner of his mouth.

Aiolos stomped on his foot, "That's Kasumi-sensei. She was a student during the last Holy War and she's been helping the Pope train the Gold Saints ever since. She's super-powerful and really, really nice." A small blush crawled across his cheeks.

Kasumi gave a loud, musical laugh, "I like you, too, Aio-chan." Aiolos turned scarlet and Saga, Angelo, and Kanon hooted with laughter.

"I see she hears very well too," Angelo sniggered.

Aiolos only turned redder. Shion chuckled, drawing everyone's attention away from the blushing Sagittarius student. "Now that _that_ interesting little bit of romance is over with," he smiled at Aiolos, who by this time could have put a tomato out of business, "I'd like to welcome all of you here, Athena's loyal Gold Saints and her future guardians as well."

"You are an evil, cruel, and vile old man, Aries Shion," Kasumi whispered an hour later as he escorted her back to the Virgo temple.

"You started it," Shion replied evenly.

Kasumi could not help but smile, "What about you, Shion-sensei? You promised me that you would pass the Aries cloth on soon."

"And you know I will keep my promise." Shion stopped with her at the temple's entrance, "My great-grandson, Jien, will be coming here soon with his family. I intend to train him."

"Has the Aries cloth _always_ belonged to one of the Jamir race?" Kasumi asked curiously.

Shion nodded, "My family, much like the Alexius, has been a caretaker of Sanctuary since the time of the gods. We are the ones who repair and tend to the cloths. It's always been that way."

"Tradition, tradition, tradition," Kasumi shook her head in exasperation and took off the white and gold mask that hid her face, "Don't you ever get sick of tradition, Shion-sensei?"

"I get more sick of you trying to break it," Shion chuckled, leaning forward to kiss his student's brow, "Get some rest, my child."

"Goodnight, father," Kasumi whispered as she watched him walk away. She gazed down at her mask, the white shield that hid her face from all around her. The gold phoenix painted on it was a remnant of the days when she had thought that she would become a Bronze Saint and nothing more, her master too young and too powerful for her to ever surpass.

And yet here she was, two and a half centuries later, wearing her master's Gold Cloth of Virgo and guiding the next generation of saints just as he had. The Phoenix Cloth, the prize she had reached and fought so long and so hard for, was now worn by another, a young man that she truly despised.

"Maybe it is time that I took a student," she mused as she returned to her temple. But as she removed her armor, a chill went through her body. As old as she was, as much as she longed for her old life, her old friends, her beloved baby brother, she could not imagine trying to live without the weight of the Virgo Cloth on her shoulders. Just the thought of giving it to another, of trying to go on with her life...

"No," Kasumi decided, touching the silver pendant hanging around her neck, "not yet. I'm sorry, little brother, but I can't join you yet."

**End Chapter 1  
**_Aiolos gritted his teeth and pulled again, trying to free his leg from under the fallen pillar. He could not stay here. If he did he would certainly die. White hot pain short through his leg and for a few vital seconds he blacked out.  
_


	2. A Few Months On

**_May It Be  
_****_Chapter 2  
_A Few Months On**

_The boy couldn't have been more than a few years older than Aiolos himself was. He had deep blue hair and eyes, eyes that were watching two other children spar while a third watched them from her perch on a raised tree root. One boy threw a punch that momentarily flared with what Aiolos recognized as the beginnings of a powerful cosmos, but the other easily slid around it. A moment later he was on the ground, his feet having been knocked out from under him. The blue haired boy next to Aiolos whooped with laughter, but the child that had been watch rushed over to see if his friend was hurt._

_"You're pretty good," the boy on the ground admitted._

_The one who had sent him to the ground grinned and sat down in the grass, "You two, Hyo-kun." He turned to the other boy, "You should stop fussing over us so much, Shu-chan."_

_The green haired boy smiled guiltily, "I don't like to see you two fighting even if it's just in play. When you and nii-chan fight, I worry you're actually going to really hurt each other."_

_The blue haired boy laughed then, "Don't you worry about that, Shun." He and the pink haired boy smirked at each other, "Me and Kitsu are near indestructible."_

_"Speak for yourself," the one called Kitsu grumbled, rubbing a line of stitches running under his green eye._

_"That was your own fault," the one he had called Shun scolded, "You shouldn't have grabbed Saori-san's arm like that."_

_"She's a spoiled brat," Kitsu countered, "I'll take a beating from Tatsumi before I see her beating on you." Hyo-kun and the blue haired boy nodded in agreement. Shun rolled his eyes._

_Someone called from behind Aiolos, "Get washed up! Dinner's almost ready!"_

_The four looked at each other, smiling. Kitsu gave a whoop and jumped to his feet, intent on racing into the mansion for food. He ran right through Aiolos, yelling over his shoulder that the last one there had to be Saori's dog._

"Good morning, Aiolos," Ronan greeted as the young boy stumbled into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Master Ronan," Aiolos greeted, yawning widely. "Do you want me to make breakfast?" he asked, knowing full well that he would have to. Ronan had made him make their meals every day since his arrival last year.

Ronan gestured to the huge open fireplace, "I'm going to bathe. I expect you to be started on your 200 push-ups by the time I get back."  
Aiolos nodded and started collecting his tools. Once Ronan was out of the room Aiolos stuck his tongue out at the doorway. "Did I come here to be a Saint or a servant?" he grumbled, cracking five eggs into a frying pan before he held it over the fire.

Looking out the window, he could see Angelo and his master, Marius, sparring on the rocky cliffside. "Lucky," Aiolos sighed.

He finished breakfast, cleaned the dishes, and left Ronan's food waiting in his room before he started into his own food. This was the standard morning routine, dreams, breakfast, 200 push-ups, ten laps from the Aries temple to the Pisces temple and back, 300 crunches, 200 chin-ups, and then he would return to Ronan for archery lessons until nearly dusk. He would make dinner and then spend another three hours "sparring" with his master until he fell unconscious from exhaustion. He had not spoken to a child his age in the six months since they had been brought before the Pope.

He was fifty-six push-ups in when Ronan returned. He silently watched his student before picking up a heavy sack full of sand and placing it on Aiolos' back. Aiolos bit his bottom lip to keep from groaning in pain.

"Have you heard anything from Aiolos?" Marius asked as he easily dodged Angelo's punch.

"Nothing," Angelo grunted.

A concerned look crossed Marius' face and his eyes flickered to the nearby Sagittarius temple. Angelo took advantage of his distraction and tried to land a kick to his stomach. Marius noticed, but did not have time to completely dodge. The kick landed just a little lower than Angelo had intended. The stunned squeak he elicited from his master was hilarious enough that Angelo momentarily forgot how hair-trigger Marius' temper was. A few seconds later, he found himself running for his life from the Cancer Saint, who was threatening to Shikishki his student.

He made it as far as Pisces Ariel's garden before he was sucked into the Underworld again. Ariel and Marius stared at each other for a moment. "That was cruel," she scolded, glancing over at her own student. The little boy was an amusing sight, making roses explode and scattering petals all over to entertain the infant sitting on the floor in front of him.

"He kicked me in the balls!" Marius protested loudly.

Ariel stared at him for a moment before breaking down laughing.

"Master?" Camus asked, watching as Marius and Angelo raced through the temple.

"Yes?" the Aquarius saint asked.

"Didn't you say Saints are supposed to be calm and controlled?"

"They're supposed to be," Estros sighed, "Back to your studies, Camus. I want you to be able to freeze Aiolos on the spot as he passes through by the end of the year."

Grinning at the fun mental image, Camus went back to mimicking the motions his master had taught him.

"I kinda feel sorry for the kid," Vulpine muttered as they watched Aiolos run through the temple for the fifth time.

Electrian grunted as Saga, frustrated with watching his twin getting beaten by their master, turned his attention from Aiolos and tackled the back of Electrian's legs. The Gemini Saint tumbled to the ground and Kanon immediately jumped on his chest and began tickling him. Saga quickly joined him.

"Brother!" Electrian shouted, "Help! I'm being tickled to death!"

Vulpine only rolled his eyes. He would never understand it. Electrian had, if anything, been the more controlled of the two of them. Now he was on the floor, howling with laughter as he was tickle-tortured by a pair of children. As far as he could tell, his twin had absolutely lost his mind.

'One more lap,' Aiolos thought, pausing at the bottom step of the Aries temple to catch his breath.

"Hey!" someone called. Aiolos looked up. A boy with dusty brown hair and the same marks over his eyes that Shion had was standing on the top step and looking down at him, "What are you doing?"

"Training," Aiolos replied, "Who are you?"

The boy grinned, "I'm Jien, Pope Shion's gstudent! I'm going to be the new Aries saint and your boss!"

Aiolos blinked in surprise. Shaking his head, he smiled, "Just because you're Shion-sama's student doesn't mean you're going to be the leader of the Gold Saints." With that, he started running back up the stairs. He did not want to deal with Ronan's punishment if he was late to the archery field. "I guess I'll see you around, Aries Jien!" he called over his shoulder.

Something rumbled ominously just to Aiolos' left. More than used to the odd creaks and groans the old temples made, he ignored it. A moment later, something huge and heavy slammed into the boy's stomach. For a few seconds, he blacked out.

The first thing he became aware of was pain. Crushing, blinding pain in every inch of his legs. Biting down on a pained groan, he opened his eyes and found himself wishing he hadn't. A pillar had fallen on his legs and sitting atop that pillar was Jien, grinning from ear to ear.

"Man, you're weak," Jien grinned, "Back in Jamir most people could have dodged that blindfolded!"

"What the hell?" Aiolos shouted, struggling to move, "Help me, you idiot! I think it crushed my legs!"

Jien laughed, "Do it yourself! If you're not even strong enough to move a pillar you don't deserve to be a Saint!" He looked around, grinning, "I bet you can't get out." Something rumbled again. Aiolos looked sideways to see another pillar begin sliding towards him, the segments of it shifting ominously. "I bet you can't get out before this pillar falls on your head!"

He laughed gleefully. Aiolos struggled more, trying to find some kind of leverage, some way to get this thing off. Jien only laughed harder and the pillar wobbled ominously, "You're running out of time!"

Aiolos gritted his teeth and pulled again, trying to free his legs from the fallen pillar. He could not stay here. If he did, he would certainly die. This kid was out of his mind! White hot pain shot through his whole body and for a few, vital seconds he blacked out.

Someone was shouting. He blinked blearily up at the figure leaning over him. Someone screamed. Something crashed. "Aiolos!" Someone was yelling for him. "Aiolos! Wake up!"

Aiolos' mind came into focus. Saga and Angelo were leaning over him. "Hurry," Saga urged, "Kanon's got him distracted! You've gotta help us push!"

Both boys began trying to roll the huge pillar off of Aiolos' legs. Aiolos managed to sit up enough to help them. "It's too heavy," Angelo gasped.

"Keep trying!" Saga snapped.

Kanon yelled and Saga doubled over in pain. Aiolos managed to look over the fallen pillar and saw Jien standing over Kanon, who was clutching his side the same way Saga was. "The hell's wrong with that kid?" Angelo asked, following Aiolos' gaze.

Aiolos cringed as the pillar shifted just a little, sending another stab of pain through him. Huge stones the size of Aiolos' head began soaring through the air, aiming directly for Kanon. "Stop it!" Aiolos shouted, hands balling into fists, "Leave him alone, Jien!"

Jien laughed as a rock struck Kanon in the side of the head. Saga slumped over sideways against Aiolos and Kanon fell to the ground, both unconscious. "You bastard!" Angelo shouted, charging at Jien.

The rocks immediately flew towards the young Cancer student. "Stop it!" Aiolos shouted again. Angelo was thrown sideways into a pillar without Jien even moving.

"Leave them alone!" Aiolos roared, slamming his fist into the pillar.

"I'm glad you made it here safely," Kasumi said, smiling at the young woman in front of her, "You've grown up so much, Kirei."

The blue haired Lemurian woman smiled, "It's good to see you again, Kasumi-senei." She gestured to the small brunette hiding behind her legs, "And this is my daughter, Messiah."

"Hello, Messiah-chan," Kasumi greeted, smiling at the little girl.

Messiah blushed, "You're really pretty."

Kasumi laughed, "You're going to be very pretty yourself, Messiah-chan, just like your mother."

Kirei blushed this time.

"What about your son?" Kasumi asked, "Isn't he supposed to be here as well?"

Kirei sighed, "He wanted to stay in the Aries temple to wait for grandfather."

Kasumi smiled, "Kids will be kids, I suppose." She set her hand on Kirei's stomach, "It's a boy."

"Are you sure?" Kirei asked, "The healers all told me that it's a girl."

Kasumi nodded, "I've predicted every baby born in your family, Kirei. I'm never wrong." She kissed Kirei's cheek, "It's good to have you here again."

A bright, stunning cosmos suddenly erupted from Aries temple. Messiah gave a scream of fright and clutched her mother's skirt. "What was that?" Kirei asked, looking around.

Kasumi took off running, panic rising in her throat. That cosmos was Aiolos', she knew it, but she had never seen it rise to that level. She had never even heard of a six year old raising their cosmos to such a level. She took one of the hidden paths that led directly down to the Aries temple.

The sight that greeted her was enough to make her wonder if another Holy War had begun. The front of the Aries temple was in ruins, fragments of marble all that remained of its huge pillars. And there, in the middle of the mess, was Aiolos. He was holding the lifeless body of one of the twins, trying to escape from what appeared to be a huge pillar flying at them.

She finally spotted Jien floating five feet in the air above the boys. She gave a frustrated yell and obliterated the flying pillar as she came down the steps. "That's enough!" she shouted, drawing Jien and Aiolos' attention to her. She could now see the unconscious bodies of Angelo and Kanon on the ground as well.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Kasumi asked furiously.

"He attacked us," Aiolos voiced, "Saga and Kanon are hurt really badly, Kasumi-sensei!" Kasumi nearly laughed. Aiolos was worried about Saga and Kanon being hurt and it was quiet obvious he could barely even use his legs.

Kasumi glared at Jien who was still stubbornly floating about her head, "I want you down on the ground, boy."

"You're not my boss," Jien snapped, "I only answer to Grandpa Shion."

Kasumi's eyes narrowed behind her mask. "Oh?" she asked softly, "Forgive me." She bowed, "I did not realize you were Shion-sama's new student. Rest assured, I will treat you with due respect from now on."

"Good," Jien snapped.

"_Removal of the first sense,"_ Kasumi whispered. Jien fell to the ground with a terrified shriek.

She knelt down, taking up the injured Kanon in her arms. There were several large cuts peppering his body and his blue hair was purple with blood. There was a startled scream from the temple.

Kasumi turned around to gaze at Kirei, "Don't just stand there. Help me clean up the mess your son made."

Jien was still screaming about his eyes. Kasumi glared at him, _"Removal of the second sense."_ He fell silent.

"What did you do to him?" Kirei shrieked.

Kasumi gathered Kanon and Angelo in her arms and walked over to Aiolos, who was now shaking and holding onto Saga as though he might die if he let go. Miraculously, Saga, though unconscious, seemed to be the only one unhurt. "He attacked my students," Kasumi said simply, setting Kanon and Angelo down. She sat on the ground and pulled Aiolos and Saga close to her, letting Aiolos bury his face in her chest.

"So help me, Kirei," she whispered, burning her cosmos just enough to make sure Kirei knew she was serious, "If your son ever uses his powers against these boys again, I will not hesitate to kill him."

One by one, Kasumi carried the injured boys into the Aries temple and set to repairing their broken bodies. Aiolos was the worst, his legs broken in more places than Kasumi cared to count and his right hand broken almost beyond recognition. She would have to wait for Shion to repair those. But the cuts and bruises that he, Kanon, and Angelo had managed to acquire could be easily treated.

Shion returned that night to his ruined temple and found Kirei shouting at the top of her lungs at Kasumi. The Virgo Saint had removed her mask and was quite calmly tending to the unconscious and badly injured Aiolos, a huge, purple bruise taking up most the left side of her face. The other boys were laid out on a large blanket next to him.

"What happened?" he asked, dropping his helmet on the temple floor.

"She attacked Jien!" Kirei shrieked hysterically, "She took away his eyesight and his voice!"

Shion turned to Kasumi, who calmly stood up and held out her hands, palms up, to the ancient Saint. "Jien dropped a pillar on Aiolos' legs. When Aiolos did not finish his laps, Saga, Kanon, and Angelo came looking for him and were attacked as well."

"That doesn't give you the right to cripple him!" Kirei shrieked. Shion was starting to get a very good idea of where Kasumi's bruise had come from.

"He's probably crippled Aiolos for life!" Kasumi shouted, wheeling around to glare at the woman.

"Kirei," Shion interrupted, "Take Jien up to the Pope's temple, I'll see to him." Kirei looked ready to protest more. "Now, Kirei."

Once she was gone, Shion looked at Kasumi again. "I'm sorry, Father," Kasumi whispered, "I shouldn't have-" She was cut off when Shion put his arms around her.

"Hush now, child," he whispered, kissing the top of her head, "I would have done no different in your place."

Shion held her like that for a few more minutes before holding her out at arm's length, "You had every right to do what you did, Kasumi. I'm proud that you would be willing to do such a thing for them. I knew I made the right choice when I picked you to help me rebuild Sanctuary."

He spent most of the night trying to repair the damage that had been done to Aiolos' hand and legs. By morning, all four boys had been tucked into Shion's huge bed and Shion himself was passed out on the couch. Kasumi went to Ronan, Marius, and the Gemini twins to inform them of what had happened to their students.

"Saga? Are you awake?"

Saga cracked one eye open to glare at Aiolos, "I am now."

"Sorry," Aiolos said apologetically, "I just..." His eyes flickered from Saga's face his own bandaged hand and back again, "Thanks...y'know, for saving me."

Saga snorted, "Your _my_ rival, Aiolos. Nobody but me's allowed to make you miserable. Don't think I actually care about you or anything."

"Of course not," Aiolos replied, smiling. He quickly scooted towards Saga just enough to plant a small, light kiss on the other boy's lips, "Thanks, Saga."

Saga growled and rolled over so he was facing Kanon instead. Aiolos smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks," Saga said quietly.

"Hm?" Aiolos mumbled.

"For protecting Kanon," Saga muttered as he pulled his twin closer to himself.

"Anytime," Aiolos murmured sleepily, "I'd die if something ever happened to my little brothers."

Saga rolled halfway over to look at Aiolos again, but the younger boy was already fast asleep.


End file.
